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Gender equity at UOW

UOWs gender pay gap reporting and employer statement

Gender pay equity

Gender pay equity is about ensuring that everyone who is performing the same role is paid the same amount, and that those performing different work of equal or comparable value are paid equitably. This requires a valuing of skills, responsibilities and working conditions in a non-discriminatory way. Unintended gender biases in hiring, promotion, performance and pay decisions can lead to incidences of pay inequity.  

Research shows the main factors contributing to the gender pay gap for the Higher-Education Sector are: 

  • discrimination and bias in hiring and pay decisions 
  • female-dominated industries and jobs attracting lower salaries 
  • a high rate of part-time and casual work for women 
  • the disproportionate share of unpaid caring and domestic work taken on by women 
  • a lack of workplace flexibility to support parents and carers, especially in senior roles 

Gender pay equity at UOW

UOW has a long-term commitment to reducing its gender pay gap, and to achieving pay equity. Some of the measures the University has in place to improve gender pay equity include: 

  • Undertaking comprehensive annual gender pay equity audits 
  • Setting a target for the representation of women across all levels and faculties/divisions 
  • Promoting workplace flexibility and support options  
  • Supporting women in engaging in non-traditional fields of study and work including the science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) disciplines. 
  • Undertaking ongoing review and assessment of our promotions and recruitment processes and training to enhance access and opportunity for all staff. 

UOW Gender Pay Gap Statement 2022-23

Position Statement

At UOW, we are committed to providing a diverse and inclusive workplace and are proud of our culture that aims to provide equal opportunity regardless of gender. Our policies and practices are continually being refined to support gender equity. We have workplace flexibility arrangements that provide all genders with career opportunity and healthy work-life balance. We commit to removing barriers to selection, advancement, and opportunities for women in our workplace.  

UOW recognises that gender equity is critical to our organisation’s success, and we passionately believe that companies and communities thrive with diverse perspectives and flexibility in thinking, leading to higher levels of creativity and innovation. UOW acknowledges and accepts the inherently different experiences of women, men, and gender diverse individuals. UOW is committed to promoting and achieving gender equity, and to addressing gender imbalances that exist across the University. 

WGEA states that the gender pay gap (GPG) is a universally recognised metric of workplace gender equality. However, it is a broad and highly contextual measure and is one of several that can be drawn on to signal an employer’s commitment to achieving gender equality in the workplace. 

In 2023, UOW has noted improvements in the GPG at the Apprentice and Trainee Level (16.7% GPG in 2022 compared with 7% In 2023), Professional Level 5 (-0.5% in favour of women in 2022 compared with -1.6% in favour of women in 2023), and Academic Level E (3.7% in 2022 compared with 0.4% in 2023). UOW is making steady progress towards our 2025 KPI target of 50% of women in the professoriate with a significant improvement in 2023; 38% of women are in the professoriate, compared with 35.8% in 2022 and 33.7% in 2021. We are also seeing improvements in the number of female staff at Academic Level D, Professional Level8/9, and on Professional IEC contracts – our pipeline of female leadership staff. Opportunities exist at Senior Executive Level as we continue with diversification.  

UOW’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Policy and EDI Action Plans uphold the values set out in UOW’s Strategic Plan 2020-2025 and outline the principles of managing gender equality and diversity in the workplace. 

These principles are embedded in all aspects of the UOW workplace including recruitment, ongoing professional development, promotion, and conduct. Various individual policies, strategies, procedures etc specifically incorporate gender equality including the STEM Decadal Plan. UOW is a champion of the STEM Decadal Plan, and so we have aligned our gender equity journey with the Decadal Plan, alongside our WGEA work. 

UOW conducts ongoing gender pay gap analyses by level, faculty, division, and school. Findings and recommendations are reported to the People and Culture Committee and University Council. The EDI team in People & Culture also works closely with Associate Deans (EDI) in each faculty to consider: 

  • Issues contributing to the gender pay gap at UOW; 
  • Academic and professional staff promotion processes; 
  • Workforce composition and planning processes; 
  • Addressing bias in recruitment/selection panels; and 
  • Gender pay gap concerns in STEMM disciplines. 

UOW has recently launched its Gender Equity Action Plan (2024-26) which outlines 34 gender equity actions spanning the end-to-end employee experience including remuneration, recruitment, onboarding, employee systems, retention, and promotion strategies. Our goal is to achieve equal outcomes for all genders at the University of Wollongong and reduce the University’s gender pay gap to reach the sector average (11%) by 2026. 

Annual compliance reporting to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA)

Each year, UOW is required to submit an annual compliance report to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), to meet its obligation under the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012. The Act requires non-public sector employers with 100 or more employees to submit an annual report for the preceding 12-month period i.e., 1 April – 31 March. The report is comprehensive and contains a combination of qualitative and quantitative responses.

UOW has a history of meeting the minimum standards set by WGEA in relation to specific gender equality indicators. Organisations with 500 or more employees must have a policy or strategy in place that specifically supports gender equality to be eligible to meet this minimum standard.

View the 2023-2024 WGEA report (PDF)